States where the most workers are quitting their jobs
States where the most workers are quitting their jobs
Low pay, minimal opportunities for growth, and disrespectful work environments—these are just a handful of the top reasons why employees quit their jobs, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey. Of course, there are myriad reasons workers might put in their notices, ranging from the mundane, like moving to a new state, to the dramatic, like having blow-up arguments with a supervisor.
Quits are down from the recent span of historically high rates during the Great Resignation. In September 2023, the national quit rate was 2.3%, or about 3.7 million people, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Over the past 12 months, layoffs among major employers across the U.S. have tempered feelings of job security, and fears of a potential recession are keeping more people in their jobs.
But certain states continue to feel the burden of high turnover. To discover which ones, Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to rank states by their preliminary September 2023 quit rates, using the number of quitters as a tiebreaker when needed. Quit rates are calculated by taking the number of quits during the month as a percentage of the total number of jobs in a state.
Keep reading through the list to see where your state falls—especially if you're planning to leave your current job any time soon.
#51. Massachusetts
- Quit rate: 1.5%
- Number of quits: 57,000
#50. New York
- Quit rate: 1.5%
- Number of quits: 147,000
#49. California
- Quit rate: 1.7%
- Number of quits: 312,000
#48. Connecticut
- Quit rate: 1.8%
- Number of quits: 31,000
#47. Washington D.C.
- Quit rate: 1.9%
- Number of quits: 15,000
#46. Washington
- Quit rate: 2.0%
- Number of quits: 73,000
#45. New Jersey
- Quit rate: 2.0%
- Number of quits: 85,000
#44. Pennsylvania
- Quit rate: 2.0%
- Number of quits: 123,000
#43. Hawaii
- Quit rate: 2.1%
- Number of quits: 13,000
#42. Michigan
- Quit rate: 2.1%
- Number of quits: 93,000
#41. Illinois
- Quit rate: 2.1%
- Number of quits: 127,000
#40. Rhode Island
- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 11,000
#39. Maine
- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 14,000
#38. Iowa
- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 35,000
#37. Ohio
- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 122,000
#36. Vermont
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 7,000
#35. New Hampshire
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 16,000
#34. Nebraska
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 24,000
#33. Kansas
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 34,000
#32. Colorado
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 66,000
#31. Minnesota
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 68,000
#30. Missouri
- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 69,000
#29. Oregon
- Quit rate: 2.4%
- Number of quits: 48,000
#28. Wisconsin
- Quit rate: 2.4%
- Number of quits: 72,000
#27. Virginia
- Quit rate: 2.4%
- Number of quits: 100,000
#26. Alabama
- Quit rate: 2.5%
- Number of quits: 55,000
#25. Indiana
- Quit rate: 2.5%
- Number of quits: 83,000
#24. South Dakota
- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 12,000
#23. New Mexico
- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 23,000
#22. Nevada
- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 40,000
#21. Maryland
- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 72,000
#20. North Carolina
- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 130,000
#19. North Dakota
- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 12,000
#18. Arkansas
- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 37,000
#17. Utah
- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 46,000
#16. Oklahoma
- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 47,000
#15. Georgia
- Quit rate: 2.8%
- Number of quits: 138,000
#14. Texas
- Quit rate: 2.8%
- Number of quits: 396,000
#13. Mississippi
- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 34,000
#12. Arizona
- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 92,000
#11. Tennessee
- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 97,000
#10. Florida
- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 281,000
#9. Kentucky
- Quit rate: 3.0%
- Number of quits: 61,000
#8. Idaho
- Quit rate: 3.1%
- Number of quits: 27,000
#7. South Carolina
- Quit rate: 3.2%
- Number of quits: 74,000
#6. Delaware
- Quit rate: 3.3%
- Number of quits: 16,000
#5. West Virginia
- Quit rate: 3.3%
- Number of quits: 23,000
#4. Louisiana
- Quit rate: 3.3%
- Number of quits: 66,000
#3. Wyoming
- Quit rate: 3.4%
- Number of quits: 10,000
#2. Alaska
- Quit rate: 3.4%
- Number of quits: 11,000
#1. Montana
- Quit rate: 3.5%
- Number of quits: 18,000
Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.
